This invention relates to launchers for canisterized missiles, and more particularly to such launchers which are intended for placement below a protective deck for generally vertical launch.
Modern warships rely principally on missiles, rather than cannon, for their offensive and defensive armament. Thus, a warship may include a single automatic cannon, together with one or more batteries of missile launchers. A battery of missile launchers may include a single missile launcher array at the rear deck of the ship, and two similar arrays on the foredeck.
A cluster of missile launchers for use on a ship may be similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,917, issued Nov. 17, 1998 in the name of McNab et al. McNab et al. describe a structure providing five vertical bays or xe2x80x9csleevesxe2x80x9d of five juxtaposed missile launcher locations, held in a line array by muzzle-end, breech-end, and intermediate frames. Each sleeve of the missile launcher array of McNab et al. includes a support lattice dimensioned to accommodate a canisterized missile. Protection against blast and environment is provided by a hard hatch assembly which includes a plurality of individually controllable or openable hatches, each of which covers the end of one of the sleeves of the array. The breech ends of the sleeves open into a plenum, which is cooled by a water supply system. Cleats are provided for fastening the plenum to the underlying structure. The missile canisters with which the McNab launchers are used include a frangible protective seal at the muzzle and breech ends, and also include a missile ready for launch, presumably together with an electrical interface for providing information to the missile, if necessary, and for initiating the launch sequence as a result of external command. In order to use the McNab structure, one or more of the sleeve doors or hatches is opened, and a canisterized missile is lowered thereinto. While not expressly stated, an umbilical is presumably used to connect the missile canister to a portion of the launch control system near the sleeve, so that the missile may be remotely controlled. When that missile is to be launched, the door or hatch associated therewith is opened, and the corresponding hatch of a further one of the sleeves, which does not contain a canisterized missile, is opened. Missile firing is then commanded, as a result of which the missile within its container fires, expelling exhaust gases into the plenum and emerging from the muzzle end of the canister, breaking both frangible seals as it does so. The exhaust gases entering the plenum from the missile are cooled by water injection, which lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases to thereby reduce the infrared (IR) signature, reduce erosion due to the gas temperature, and in so doing generate a large amount of steam. The mixed steam and exhaust gases are routed from the plenum to above-decks by way of the vacant sleeve with its open hatch, used as a chimney. If the support structure is a lattice, as McNab illustrates, a protective sleeve may run within that vacant one of the sleeves which is used as a chimney for exhaust gases/steam. The protective sleeve may include ablatable material for further protection.
Improved missile launchers are desired.
A missile launcher cell according to an aspect of the invention is for accepting a canisterized missile which defines a missile launch end and a missile exhaust end, for, in use prior to missile launch, holding the missile canister in a generally vertical launch position below a deck. The missile launcher cell comprises at least one elongated exhaust gas chimney. It also comprises a support structure defining a generally axial cavity, also defining a missile launch end and a missile exhaust end. The cavity of the support structure has length and cross-sectional dimensions sufficient to accommodate the missile canister. The one or more exhaust chimneys lie along the exterior of the support structure and extend, parallel with the axis of the cavity, from near the missile launch end to near the missile exhaust end of the support structure. The missile launcher cell also includes a missile exhaust plenum attached to the support structure near the missile exhaust end of the support structure. The missile exhaust plenum is coupled to the one or more exhaust chimneys near the missile exhaust end of the support structure. The missile exhaust plenum further includes an attachment arrangement for attachment to the missile exhaust end of the missile canister, for routing missile exhaust gas from the missile exhaust end of the support structure to the one or more exhaust chimneys, for causing missile exhaust gas to vent from the one or more chimneys near the missile launch end of the support structure of the missile launcher cell. A door structure is attached to the missile launch end of the missile launch cell support structure, for, in the closed state, protecting at least the support structure, the one or more chimneys, and any missile canister accommodated within the cavity.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the cavity has a rectangular, or more particularly square, cross-section, and is dimensioned to accommodate a Mk 25 canisterized missile. The support structure may be a latticework. The number of chimneys in a particular embodiment is two, with the two chimneys running parallel with each other and with the cavity axis.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, an array of missile launcher cells has each of the missile launcher cells of the array dimensioned for accepting a canisterized missile, where each missile canister defines a missile launch end and a missile exhaust end. In use prior to missile launch, the array of missile launcher cells holds the missile canisters in a generally vertical launch position below a deck. Each of the missile launcher cells includes at least one elongated exhaust gas chimney, and a support structure defining a generally axial cavity defining a missile launch end and a missile exhaust end. The cavity of the support structure of each cell has length and cross-sectional dimensions sufficient to accommodate a missile canister. The one or more exhaust chimneys are attached, or lie adjacent to, the exterior of the support structure and extend, parallel with the axis of the cavity, from near the missile launch end to near the missile exhaust end of the structure. A missile exhaust plenum is attached to the support structure near the missile exhaust end of the support structure of each cell. The missile exhaust plenum of each cell is coupled to the one or more exhaust chimneys near the missile exhaust end of the support structure, and also includes an attachment arrangement or means for attachment to the missile exhaust end of the missile canister, for thereby routing missile exhaust gas from the missile exhaust end of the support structure to the one or more chimneys, for causing missile exhaust gas to vent from the at least one chimney near the missile launch end of the support structure. A door structure is attached to the missile launch end of the missile launch structure, for, when closed, protecting at least the support structure and the one or more exhaust chimneys of the missile launcher cell, and any missile canister accommodated within the cavity of the cell, and for, when open, providing for egress of the missile from its canister and exhaust gas from the one or more chimneys. This arrangement allows the array of missile launchers to be maintained in a condition in which all of the launcher cells are fitted with canisterized missiles, without keeping at least one missile launch cell clear or unloaded so as to provide a chimney or path for the escape of exhaust gas from a missile fired in a missile launch cell of the array. Thus, an aspect of the invention lies in an array of launchers in which a canisterized missile located within each of (all of) the cavities of the array.